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Brake failure on 2007 prius

Had my prius for 12 days and it had to be towed to dealer, the brake warning lights came on, brake fluid was leaking and the car did not brake well!!! Had only driven the car 75 miles. Dealer called Toyota who told them NOT to touch the car until they sent out a technician from CA, I am on the east coast. Toyota never heard of this problem and wanted to look at my car just in case other prius's came up with the same problem. BEWARE of 2007 Prius. I liked the car for the short time I had it. BUT am scared to drive it now. Will not let my family into the car, if I ever get it back. It has been at the dealer for over a week now, almost the same amount of time that I actually had it. Dealer is being very evasive. Anyone have this problem, and what was the outcome.

BEWARE of 2007 Prius. I liked the car for the short time I had it. BUT am scared to drive it now. Will not let my family into the car, if I ever get it back.

I've had my Prius 2007 for two weeks, put 600 miles on it and will never want my old car back (was not a bad car, BTW - a sporty Mazda 3s). At 75 miles your car was not even broken in, you've been very unfortunate to hit a manufacturing defect. Also, I would be inclined to think that 100% Japanese-built car would have less of those failures on average than your domestic car. But what does it have to do with safety of your family? I've had brakes COMPLETELY fail on a Chevy S10 truck (I understand you still had a little bit of "bite" left on yours, right?) so should I now avoid EVERY S10? Cool down, man. I know how it feels but when the first shock is over you should realize that this is just probabilities and once fixed, they are most likely will never fail again. BTW, just in case, you have a "B" mode there that lets you brake with your (electric) engine. Not a very effective brake but if you are not flying 80MPH, it'll bring you to complete stop in a few hundred feet.

Originally Posted by Calafras

It has been at the dealer for over a week now, almost the same amount of time that I actually had it. Dealer is being very evasive. Anyone have this problem, and what was the outcome.

I actually have a feeling that Toyota dealerships are not really prepared to sell Priuses and actually even hate to sell. I also feel that there may be some electricity fear going on among the mechanics. The guys that sold me mine had very basic knowledge of how to operate a Prius and I would be simply mislead in my purchase if I hadn't read about Prius before I even came to buy it. For example, he said that the "B" driving mode (braking with engine) was for highway driving(!) to save even more fuel(!!). That's what I'm saying - no clue.

Also, flying a mechanic from CA may very well be a BS designed to cover up other unrelated delays.

I don't have a persistant problem but I locked up the brakes the other day and a tablespoon of brake fluid was on the ground when I stopped. From the front passenger tire to the rear were drops everywhere. The master cylinder was full still but no problems or leakage since. Will keep my eye on it. When I locked it up the battery sounded like it shifted, loud thud.

All things mechanical occasionally have problems. Toyota usually does a great job standing behind their products. The fact they want to know exactly what caused the problem should provide some piece of mind they are working on your behalf. Take a deep breath, all will be OK!

Brake problem today on 2006 Prius

I had a very strange experience in my 2006 Prius driving home from work today. I was in stop-n-go traffic, traveling about 5-10 mph, when the cars in front of me slowed to a stop. I stepped on the brake, but I kept rolling. I had to watch myself roll into the car in front of me because absolutely nothing happened when I stepped on the brake. I was not pressing the accelerator. I was definitely pressing the brake.

I'm fortunate I was going very slowly when this happened.

My Prius has 11,000 miles on it. It's up to date on all the services.

Has anyone heard of such a problem with other Priuses? Haven't found anything like this on the internet so far. I'm taking it to the dealership first thing in the morning - would have taken it tonight if they weren't closed..

No loaner car. I had the car towed to the dealership service dept (where I bought the car). The dealership said they couldn't touch the car until a Toyota inspector looks at it. They told me I had to call Toyota "Legal" and report the problem ("product liability claim"). The dealership "quarantined" (their term) the car. The dealership called me a few days later to say the inspector had been there, inspected the car, told the dealership to call me and tell me I can come and pick it up, and the inspector will call me within 30 days. No info from the svc dept about the findings, no way to contact the inspector, no written report. The service dept did tell me that they expect the inspector to tell me that he found no problems, otherwise he would not have told them to release the car to me, but the svc dept wouldn't state that for certain. Basically, the svc dept took a hands off approach and told me the issue is between me and Toyota Headquarters.

Some more detail about the incident:

I had approx 15 feet between me and the car in front of me. The brake did not respond. There is no question in my mind that I applied the brake, not the accelerator. (I checked where my foot was, and I also wasn't accelerating). I had enough time to watch the whole thing unfold. With my foot on the brake, I could not stop my car, and I rolled into the car in front of me. I so surprised and confused by the brake not responding, it didn't occur to me to step on the emerg brake until too late.

There was no damage to either car because I was going very slowly (less than 10mph) and I was well behind the car in front of me.

Bumping into the car in front of me was what stopped me (not my brake). After I was fully stopped, I was able to pull over to the side of the road, and the brakes worked again.

Please don't anyone post back saying what I might have been doing wrong, or how it's impossible for this to happen. It did happen, exactly as I've described. I am posting this only to share information with others so that the body of knowledge about this problem builds. Maybe down the road it will help me or someone else.

I also found a similar experience on priuschat.com from 2006 (post is titled "brake failure 2005 Prius")